U.S. CitizenshipThe country in which a person is born (and has not renounced or lost citizenship) or naturalized and to which that person owes allegiance and by which he or she is entitled to be protected. and Immigration Services (USCIS) revised the filing instructions for the Petition for AlienAny person not a citizen or nationalA person owing permanent allegiance to a state of the United States. Relative (Form I-130). Effective December 3, 2007, all applicants filing stand-alone Form I-130s are encouraged to file their petitions with the Chicago Lockbox instead of a USCIS Service Center.

Petitions filed with the Chicago Lockbox will be routed to, and adjudicated at, the appropriate USCIS Service Center. This routing will be based on the petitioner’s place of residence in the United States.

Two separate postAmerican Embassy, consulate or other diplomatic mission abroad. Not all American embassies, consulates and missions are visa-issuing posts. office box addresses (see below) have been established that correspond to the appropriate USCIS Service Center (either Vermont or California) that will process and adjudicate the petition. Although Form I-130 will be filed with the Chicago Lockbox, petitioners will receive receipt notices from either the Vermont or California Service Center.

Applicants who reside in Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands, West Virginia or DistrictGeographic areas into which the United States and its territories are divided for the Immigration and NaturalizationThe conferring, by any means, of citizenship upon a person after birth. Service’s field operations or one of three overseas offices located in Rome, Bangkok, and Mexico City. Each District Office, headed by a District Director, has a specified service area that may include part of a state, an entire state, or many states. District Offices are where most USCIS field staff are located. District Offices are responsible for providing certain immigration services and benefits to people resident in their service area, and for enforcing immigration laws in that jurisdiction. Certain applications are filed directly with District Offices, many kinds of interviews are conducted at these Offices, and USCIS staff is available to answer questions, provide forms, etc. of Columbia are encouraged to file their stand-alone Form I-130 with the Lockbox using the following address:

USCIS

P.O. Box 804616

Chicago, IL 60680-1029

While the changes are effective December 3, any Form I-130 filed with the Service Center will not be rejected; it will be forwarded to the designated Chicago Lockbox. Applicants are encouraged, however, to begin using the designated Lockbox filing on the effective date in order to avoid processing delays.

The revised form and filing instructions will be available through USCIS’ Website atwww.uscis.govas soon as they are available.